Films R Us

Thursday, January 7, 2016

This
is our website’s very first review, so what better way to start
than with Star Wars? This is my fair warning to those who have not
seen the movie: this review contains spoilers, so if you haven’t
seen the movie yet and want to wait to see the big revelations until
you actually watch the movie, than read no further.

But
seriously, go see the movie.

Are
you still reading this? Dude! Go!

Okay,
now that you have been warned, let’s begin.

Plot:
Episode VII takes place thirty-some-odd years after Return
of the Jedi.
The Empire was defeated and now a new Republic rules in its place.
However, remnants of the Empire have come together to form the First
Order, a Nazi-esque regime led by the enigmatic Supreme Leader Snoke
and the fierce Dark Side warrior Kylo Ren. Fighting on behalf the
Galactic Republic against the newly powerful First Order is the
Resistance, led by general Leia Organa. Both sides are searching
desperately for Luke Skywalker, the last surviving Jedi in the
galaxy. For the Resistance, finding Skywalker means regaining a
savior who can defeat the First Order; for the First Order, finding
and destroying Skywalker removes any threat of a new generation of
Jedi. The map of Skywalker’s location is in a droid, a soccer ball
with pizazz called BB-8. Our new heroes—X-Wing pilot Poe Dameron,
AWOL storm trooper Finn, and Scavenger Rey—race to keep the map out
of the hands of the First Order and deliver it to the Resistance.
Meanwhile, the First Order threatens the galaxy with the Star Killer,
a battle station made of a planet that can destroy entire star
systems, and can spell doom for both the Republic and the Resistance.

Review:
I had to watch Episode VII several times in order to assimilate it.
This film is the Star Wars movie that fans have been waiting for ever
since the end of the original trilogy. Although normally I would not
judge a movie’s quality based on how I compare with others, I must
make an exception for Star Wars in order to indicate why this film is
nearly perfect in areas where the prequel trilogy suffered and
disappointed fans. Don’t get me wrong, I still like the prequels
because I live and breathe Star Wars, but they have glaring flaws:
poorly written dialogue, over-saturation with CGI, and characters
with whom you could not connect like those in the original trilogy.
Episode III wrapped up the last trilogy nicely, but it didn’t live
up to the originals.

Episode
VII feels
like a Star Wars movie in a way the prequels did not. It is visually
arresting because most of the effects are practical and CGI is used
only when necessary. In place of green screens are actual sets, and
in place of cartoon characters are real-looking creatures you can
almost touch. The light saber duels are not choreographed dances;
they are fierce fights in which every parry is a ground-shaking blow.
At first, I was skeptical of the cross-guarded light saber, but then
I saw how the third blade can come in handy when in close-quarters
combat.

Kylo Ren is a new
kind of villain for the Star
Wars
series. As the son of Leia Organa and Han Solo (Ren’s actual name
is Ben), he is caught between the love for his parents and his call
to the Dark Side. Just as the original trilogy was about one
warrior’s path to becoming a hero, Episode Seven is about Ben
Solo’s journey to fully becoming a villain as much as it is about
Finn and Rey’s journey to becoming heroes. He is very much the
grandson of Vader and embodies his legacy. However, he lack’s
Vader’s self-control and is not yet master of the Dark Side of the
Force. There is only one scene between Ren and his father Han Solo,
but the writers and actors make it count. The scene in which Ren
kills Solo is heart-wrenching despite the fact we have never seen
these two characters interact before. Both Harrison Ford and Adam
Driver perform at the top of their game and you truly believe than
Han Solo will do anything for his son, even if that means dying at
his hands. It’s no secret that Harrison Ford wanted Solo to die
the hero’s death in Return
of the Jedi
in order to complete the character’s journey from a selfish man to
a self-sacrificing hero. Well, Ford got his wish, and somehow made
us care about Solo than we did before. Star
Wars
is ultimately a morality tale about family, and, like Vader willing
to die for Luke, Solo gives himself to his son in what is the most
powerful scene in the movie and the most powerful scene in the
franchise since Vader’s sacrifice in Jedi.

Oscar
Isaac, John Boyega, and Daisy Ridley also bring a lot to the table
and breathe life into new characters. My suspicion is that they will
be the trio for this trilogy just as Han, Luke, and Leia were for the
original. Daisy Ridley’s Rey is, I believe, the new hope. Her
ability to use the force and her light saber duel with Kylo Ren
demonstrate that she has the mettle to be the Luke of this trilogy.
I cannot wait to see how her path as a hero unfolds just as I am
excited to see how Kylo Ren slips more comfortably into his
grandfather’s boots.

This
is by no means a perfect film, but I’m hard-pressed to see how it
could have been made better. Domhall Gleeson may be miscast as the
villainous General Hux; he simply seems to be too nice for a role
like Tarkin, who was portrayed by Peter Cushing, whose severe
features and overbearing demeanor made him believable as the cruel
authoritarian figure whom Hux should be. Instead, Gleeson’s Hux
comes off as more of a spoiled brat than a tyrant. Also, I’m not
entirely satisfied with the primary villain, Supreme Leader Snoke,
who does not seem like a match for his predecessor, Emperor
Palpatine. However, I will reserve my judgment until I see more of
the character.

About Us

My name is Parker and I am attending University of Nevada, Reno. (UNR) Im majoring in History and minoring in Computer Sciences. The majority of my free time is watching movies, lots and lots of movies. I have always had a love for cinema and everything about movies. One of my rules is that no matter how bad the movie is I have to sit it out and finsh the story. An unfinished story is horrible.